DEPARTMENT FOR
CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES News Release (2007/0193) issued by
The Government News Network on 17 October 2007
Schools Minister
Andrew Adonis today launched a new programme to maximise the
potential of children with special educational needs and support
schools and early years settings in managing their needs.
The Inclusion Development Programme (IDP) is a new £2million
project of confidence-raising training for teachers, support staff
and early years practitioners. Developed by the Department for
Children, Schools and Families in partnership with children's
communication charity I CAN and Dyslexia Action, it will improve
the skills of teachers by advising them on how to develop teaching
strategies for children with special educational needs (SEN) and
providing guidance on dealing with common classroom challenges.
Schools Minister, Andrew Adonis, said:
"Improving the life chances of children with special
educational needs and disabilities is an absolute priority for us.
A key part of that is equipping teachers with the skills and
confidence to help children with a range of special educational needs.
"We have the best trained workforce ever and many teachers
are already offering children with SEN high levels of teaching and
support. This new training, developed in partnership with I CAN
and Dyslexia Action, builds on this by offering teachers every day
opportunities to continue developing their skills in the classroom
so that all children with special needs can access the help they need."
The training materials will initially focus on speech, language
and communication needs and dyslexia. Over the next four years
training on autistic spectrum disorders, behavioural issues and
moderate learning difficulties will be added.
IDP is the latest step in the Government's work to ensure
teachers are getting the support they need throughout their
careers for dealing with children with SEN and disabilities. The
Training Development Agency is currently piloting specialist
material for trainee teachers focused on giving them a good skills
base for working with children with SEN as part of their
undergraduate courses.
Virginia Beardshaw, I CAN Chief Executive said:
"Communication is the foundation life skill. Children with
good communication skills learn, make friends and achieve. I CAN
welcomes the launch of the IDP and is pleased to be working
collaboratively with the government sharing our expertise in
children's speech, language and communication development and
disability. It is absolutely essential that the children's
workforce is skilled in how to support children's
communication needs. This is an excellent first step but there is
still a great deal of work to do."
Shirley Cramer, Dyslexia Action Chief Executive said:
"We welcome the IDP initiative and are extremely pleased to
have worked with the Government and I CAN to create and craft this
programme of training for teachers.
"Dyslexia affects two to three children in every classroom
and the link between dyslexia and disadvantage is proven -
undiagnosed dyslexic people are 'overrepresented' in
groups excluded from school, in prison and in long-term
unemployment. By upgrading teacher ability through projects like
IDP we can begin to improve the life chances of our children and
sever this link."
The Inclusion Development Programme forms a key part of the
Government's overall strategy on addressing the needs of
children with special educational needs and disability, and was
developed following a recommendation from the Education and Skills
Select Committee report on Special Educational Needs (SEN).
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. The £2million funding for the Inclusion Development Project is
for 2007/08.
2. Information on the materials, including an interactive DVD and
web based resources to support leadership and individual
teacher/practitioner professional development, will be available
from the National Strategies from December.
3. A major review into the provision of services for children and
young people with speech, language and communications needs was
announced by the Prime Minister in September. Led by John Bercow
MP, it will advise the Government on how the very best provision
can be mirrored in all areas, so every young person up to
19-years-old with speech and language difficulties gets support as
early as possible. It will also advise on how local services can
work closer together so children get the support they need, when
they need it. For more details go to http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/bercowreview/index.shtml
4. I CAN is a leading children's communication charity.
Communication is the essential 21st century life skill - the
foundation on which children learn, achieve and make friends. I
CAN works to develop speech, language and communication skills for
all children, with a particular focus on children who find
communication hard. For more information, go to http://www.ican.org.uk
5. Dyslexia Action is a national charity and the UK's
leading provider of educational services and support for people
with dyslexia and literacy difficulties. It specialises in
assessments, teaching and training. It also develops and
distributes teaching materials and undertakes research. For more
information please visit: http://www.dyslexiaaction.org.uk
6. The Communication Trust, launched by Andrew Adonis in May
2007, is a 'hub' of communication and SEN expertise,
with a solutions-oriented approach to provision, services,
training and resources. DCSF SEN division has provided £900,000
to fund the creation of the trust. The Communication Trust has
been founded by Afasic, BT Better World Campaign, CDC (Council for
Disabled Children) and is hosted by children's communication
charity I CAN. For more information visit http://www.thecommunicationtrust.org.uk
7. No To Failure Project (NTF) was launched by Andrew Adonis and
Kate Griggs in May 2007. DCSF is providing initial funding to
start the project - up to £900K over three financial years,
matched against funding raised elsewhere. The project has started
specialist training for teachers and specialist dyslexia screening
of children in some schools in Southwark, where specialist tuition
is then being provided to those identified as having dyslexia.
Specialist training for teachers has started in Cornwall and
Calderdale, where schools are being identified to join the
project. For more information visit http://www.xtraordinarypeople.com
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